Pachinko Players, Shinjuku, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.

Pachinko Players, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The noise from theses places is incredible - I don't know how the people inside can deal with it. Seems like a bit of a national addiction!

There are several kinds of pachinko machines and parlor regulations, but most of them conform to a similar style of play. Players purchase metal balls which are then shot into the machine from a ball tray with the purpose of attempting to win more balls. The pachinko machine has a digital slot machine on a large screen in the center of its layout, and the objective is to ge three numbers or symbols in a row - striking the jackpot.

Shinjuku Skyline, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.

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Shinjuku Skyline, Tokyo's skyscraper district. I took this from a 12th floor apartment belonging to a friend. Shinjuku is Tokyo's ommercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station), and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.

Parade with shrine during 2008 Kanda Matsuri festival, Tokyo., originally uploaded by blather.

Parade with shrine during 2008 Kanda Matsuri celebrations, Tokyo carrying a golden mikoshi or shrine. While the parades during even numbered years are nowhere near the magnitude of the odd numbered years, these partipants - born in bred in Kanda (or central Edo, as Tokyo was once known), are known as Edokkos, and they are proud to be known as an energetic, high-spirited community.

The festival is also known as Tenka Matsuri - the Shogun Festival. It is one of the three biggest festival in Japan.This festival was permitted to enter the Edo Castle (the Imperal Palace)in Edo period.

During the festival lots of Mikoshi or portable shrines, are carried by crowds of local people and paraded throughout Kanda and Nihonbasi towns.

Mikoshis are beautiful gold and black lacquer portable versions of the shrine's kamis or deities, taken out on a march through the streets of the town, so that blessings - in the shape of luck and prosperity are given to the area and the people who liver the. The more the mikoshi is shaken, the more blessings the god will give!

Braided river, Denali National Park, Alaska, originally uploaded by blather.

Braided river, Denali National Park, Alaska

In the central plain, seen from Polychrome mountain.

A braided river is one of a number of channel types and has a channel that consists of a network of small channels separated by small and often temporary islands called braid bars or, in British usage, aits or eyots. Braided streams occur in rivers with high slope and/or large sediment load. Braided channels are also typical of environments that dramatically decrease channel depth, and consequently channel velocity, such as river deltas, alluvial fans and peneplains.

Tolkat River, Denali National Park, Alaska, originally uploaded by blather.

Tolkat River, Denali National Park, Alaska, a braided river of glacial deposits. Taken near the ranger station, having hopped off the shuttle bus.

Get high resolution version: Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin, originally uploaded by blather. Look underneath the swan - you can see the eggs!

Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin, near Ballybough Bridge or Luke Kelly Bridge, on the road to Fairview. Not sure if this was the male or female - they share the nesting work, tho the male usually stands guard while the female sits. The previous day I had seen both at the nest, but the light wasn't good. There was a batch of large eggs in the clutch - they produce around six eggs, sometimes up to ten or eleven. It takes about 35 days before they hatch - lets hope these ones will be safe from cats and globshitey humans.

Get high resolution: Wave breaking over Iceberg, originally uploaded by blather.

Wave breaking over Iceberg in the Southern Ocean. That's a couple of petrels you can see flying by the lower part of the berg, gives a sense of scale.

Get high resolution version: Polychrome Mountain, Denali National Park, originally uploaded by blather.

Polychrome Mountain, Denali National Park, Alaska

Get high quality version: Lonely Adelie Penguin - Pygoscelis adeliae , originally uploaded by blather.

Adelie Penguin - Pygoscelis adeliae - in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica. In 1830, French explorer Dumont d'Urville named them for his wife, Adélie.

Black browed Albatross, Southern Ocean, originally uploaded by blather.
Get high resolution photograph of endangered black browed albatross »

Black- browed Albatross or mollymawk, Thalassarche melanophrys in front of a Southern Ocean wave. Yet another albatross on the World Conservation Union's Red List - listed as endangered

Grey Headed Albatross, originally uploaded by blather.
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Grey Headed Albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma, Southern Ocean, 21st December 2007.

Wandering Albatross, Southern Ocean, originally uploaded by blather.
High resolution photograph of the wandering albatross»

Massive 3m+ wingspans on these guys - the biggest wingspan of any bird. And really difficult to get a satisfying photograph of...

They're listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN - this is mostly caused by long line fishing.

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National Geographic Traveller's Intelligent Travel blog have just used my Blue Ice photo in an article about
Antarctica's White Noise

Scientists at the Perennial Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean understand this concept, and have bottled the sounds of the Antarctic for the world to appreciate with "an acoustic live stream of the Antarctic underwater soundscape."

Suburban reflections, originally uploaded by blather. Get the high resolution version »

Canal and apartments near Heemstedestraat, Amsterdam. I spotted this while walking from the Greenpeace office in Amsterdam. My colleague, Brian, told me "go photograph Amsterdam, you always see it differently to me", but I don't think anyone was expecting that I'd find my photograph just the other side of the Amsterdam Centraal to Schiphol airport line from the office.

Tom Park Fountain, Napier, New Zealand, originally uploaded by blather. Download the high resolution version »

Tom Park Fountain, Napier, New Zealand. Napier is New Zealand's Art Deco town - completely rebuilt in 1931 after an earthquake. Tom Parker owned a men's outfitters shop in Hastings Street and was a colourful town character who made many gifts to worthy causes and to the city.

On one of his regular visits to Britain he was impressed by a modern, illuminated fountain at Bournemouth. On returning to Napier he donated £1,000 for a similar fountain which was built on an area previously occupied by a children's playground.